Craft.
Going to art school, I've learned a lot more than just digital design. Here are some projects that incorporate craft skills.
SCOBY Mask
ABOUT
Teammate: SCOBY (a live symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast)
I worked with a teammate on this project, but not the kind of teammate you're thinking... I spent weeks brewing kombucha in my dorm room to grow something called a SCOBY. This living organism is a byproduct of the kombucha fermentation process that can be dried and used as a textile, a natural and cruelty free alternative to materials like leather. I experimented with various growth conditions and treatments to explore the properties of SCOBY leather, including bending it into shapes, dyeing it, scenting it, creating patterns, and more.
This project was part of the Collaborative BioArt + Design course at California College of the Arts, taught by professor Michael Bogan.
TOOLS
SCOBY (homegrown), pins, foam, X-Acto knife
Identity Archive
ABOUT
This piece was a box using layered sheets of cut out paper to compose a scene that encapsulates various aspects of identity, consolidating them into a single archive. Using different lighting sources, the appearance and mood of the piece can be changed. Different layers create a shadow effect, while the open cut outs in the back allow light to shine through.
TOOLS
X-Acto knife
Topographic Treehouse
ABOUT
This is a piece from the 3D: Form Versus Function course at CCA, taught by Elin Christopherson. The inspiration for this assignment was a map: specifically, a square cutout of a map that covered a 2 mile x 2 mile area of Oakland, California. My "monument" was a treehouse.
You can read a more about my process and the background of this project here in a short blog post.
TOOLS
Table saw, bandsaw, scroll saw
Illuminated SCOBYs
ABOUT
Teammate: SCOBY (a live symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast)
SCOBY is a living organism and a byproduct of the kombucha fermentation process. It can be dried and used as a textile – a natural and cruelty free alternative to materials like leather. In these pieces, I experimented with dyeing the SCOBY leather and explored how light passed through it, radically altering its appearance and revealing unseen details.
This project was part of the Collaborative BioArt + Design course at California College of the Arts, taught by professor Michael Bogan.
TOOLS
SCOBY (homegrown), food coloring, thread, foam, pins
Poetry Box
ABOUT
This is a piece from the 3D: Form Versus Function course at CCA, taught by Elin Christopherson. This assignment was to choose a poem or song as inspiration and design a wooden box based on the lyrics. I chose "Forever Young" by Bob Dylan and designed a dove bearing an olive branch.
You can read a more about my process and the background of this project here in a short blog post.
TOOLS
Bandsaw, wood burning tool
Material Studies
ABOUT
Teammate: SCOBY (a live symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast)
SCOBY is a living organism and a byproduct of the kombucha fermentation process. It can be dried and used as a textile – a natural and cruelty free alternative to materials like leather. I wanted to explore the possibilities of using dried SCOBYs as a material or textile. With these pieces, I dried them on textured surfaces to imprint a pattern on the finished material.
This project was part of the Collaborative BioArt + Design course at California College of the Arts, taught by professor Michael Bogan.
TOOLS
SCOBY (homegrown), plastic sheets
Music Building Blocks
ABOUT
I was challenged to create a piece out of reused materials. I decided to design cassette tape building blocks. I wanted the piece to have a functional, playful, and aesthetic purpose, as they can light the room, be an interesting decorative piece, and be stacked and rearranged in many patterns.
You can read a more about my process and the background of this project here in a short blog post.
TOOLS
Found objects, adhesive
Slime Mold
ABOUT
Teammate: Slime Mold (eukaryotic organisms that can live freely as single cells, but can also aggregate together to form multicellular reproductive structures)
In this project, I created a maze within a cube as a playful and safe environment for growing slime mold. By placing a trough of water and pieces of oats in the maze, I was able to incentivize the slime mold to grow and follow certain paths.
This project was part of the Collaborative BioArt + Design course at California College of the Arts, taught by professor Michael Bogan.
TOOLS
Acrylic, laser cutter, slime mold
BioArt Experiments
ABOUT
Teammate: SCOBY (a live symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast)
SCOBY is a living organism and a byproduct of the kombucha fermentation process. It can be dried and used as a textile – a natural and cruelty free alternative to materials like leather. With these materials, I wanted to try imprinting patterns on them while they were in the process of drying, as well as trying to scent the SCOBY leather using both liquid additives and natural tea leaves (as kombucha is brewed with tea).
This project was part of the Collaborative BioArt + Design course at California College of the Arts, taught by professor Michael Bogan.
TOOLS
SCOBY (homegrown)